Othello is the hero of the play that carries his name as 
its title.His exceptional 
abilities qualify him for leading the Venetian army sent to 
defend the colony of Cyprus against Turkish invasion.They refer to him
as an African and attribute to him the derogatory epithets 
which the name recalls.He allows Iago 
to fuel his jealousy until he unjustifiably kills his angelic wife.They tend to distance themselves from 
the black other, who is associated in their imagination with 
inferiority, immorality and evil.But his gullibility undermines 
his great prospect of happy love and marriage.He is a black African living in the Italian city-state of 
Venice.The battlefield proves 
his intelligence, courage and leadership skills.